Blood and Water
by JtheBard
Summary: Jason Scott has many secrets, but when tragedy strikes, what will he do when one of those secrets comes right out in the open? More importantly, is there a certain redhead that can lend a helping hand? Re posted.
1. All he has left

**Disclaimer:** I have never, nor will I ever own anything to do with Power Rangers.

**Setting:** About a year or so after Dino Thunder

**Summary:** Jason has always been a man of many secrets, but what happens when something happens to turn his world upside down, and lets one of those secrets come right out into the open? His life changes drastically, but can anyone help in work through it all?

A/N: This story was posted over a year ago, but I took it down because I lost my must for it. I am reposting now with some improvements. I have two other chapters ready to go, and will be posting them soon, but with school starting soon, I am not sure how much time I will have to work on it, so please be patient. Also, this story was and still is dedicated to my uncle David who was very much like Jimmy in this story. Sadly, we lost him last fall. So this one is for him.

Chapter one: All he has left

Jason let himself into his hotel room, tossed his keys on the nearby table, and quickly made his way to the king sized bed where he plopped himself down and gave a tired sigh. It was two o'clock in the morning and he was tired, and more than a little drunk. Tommy had gone and finally asked Kim to marry him, so tonight; he had gone out to celebrate with Tommy, Rocky, Billy, Adam and Zach, the latter having flown in all the way from New York. Jason thanked his lucky stars that he had only had to drive the three hours from Angel Grove to Reefside._ When_ they had all gotten the news, most of Tommy's friends had made their way to Reefside where the forgetful paleontologist now made his home. It had started out as something small, but it was not long before it turned into a small ranger reunion of sorts. The evening had started out innocently enough, with Tommy and Rocky arriving at his door to cart him way to a club where they met the others. Then, Rocky had the brilliant idea of doing tequila shots and that is where things got a little fuzzy. He was pretty sure they were asked to leave the club after Billy of all people started chasing a woman around begging for her phone number, and Rocky almost getting into a fight with a guy over who had the highest batting average in the American league in 1998. Jason chuckled to himself. Yeah, he had some pretty crazy friends alright, but he would not change them for the world. Other than his blood family, they were really all he had to depend on in his life. There had been Danielle, but…swearing to himself, he forced thoughts of her away and started contemplating getting up and perhaps getting a shower before passing out.

He was actually in the process of doing just that, when his cell phone rang. He considered not answering, thinking that it was one of the guys, but something in him told him that he should probably take this call. Groaning, Jason rolled over and grabbed the phone where, for some reason, was in his back pocket. He glanced at the caller ID, and saw that while the number was an unfamiliar one, it had an Angel Grove area code. Now curious, he hit the little green button and answered the call.

He listened for a few moments to what the person on the other end of the call had to say, and in a span of a few seconds, Jason Scott's world turned upside down.

The next day, Jason was back in Angel Grove, doing what most any other person in the world dreaded doing.

Today Jason was preparing for his parent's funeral.

The night before, he had gotten the call from a sergeant at the Angel Grove police department. There had been a robbery at the convenience store near his parent's home. Dan and Julie Scott had stopped in while going on their customary nightly walk to get bottles of water, also customary. They had walked in laughing, oblivious to the scene that was playing out in front of them. Apparently, their sudden entrance spooked the gunman at the counter and he had turned and fired without looking to see who was coming in. Dan was hit first in the chest and was dead before he hit the floor. Julie, obviously distraught over her husband's brutal murder, started screaming his name.

She died simply because the murderer did not like the noise she was making. The gunman had been quickly apprehended and was facing some serious prison time, though the rumor was that the prosecutor was possibly going to seek the death penalty. All of that was of little comfort to Jason. His parents were still gone.

So now he was standing in his parent's bedroom facing the enormous responsibility of burying both of his parents. And that was not even the least of his responsibilities now. He had a long, tough road ahead of him, and it was not going to be easy at all.

"You okay bro"?

Jason was startled of his thoughts my Tommy's appearance behind him. Jason had called him soon after "the call" to let him know that he was going home early. At first, he did not want to tell him why, as he felt it was too personal, but as he almost always did, Tommy got it out of him and within two hours, Tommy, as well as Kim and pretty much every other former ranger that was nearby was on their way to Angel Grove in a massive show of support for the original red ranger. Jason had been so overwhelmed that he found it hard to even speak, to say even thank you, but he did not have to. Everyone knew how he felt, and they also knew that he would have done the same thing for each and every one of them…in a heartbeat.

He put down the picture that he had been holding, one that showed his parents on their wedding day. He had noted with a chuckle that his father was wearing a red tie. Tommy came up from behind him and put his hand on his shoulder in a sign of support.

"They were only fifty years old Tommy", Jason said with tears threatening to spill out yet again, something that he did not want to do in front of his best friend, "they were only fifty years old, and just because some deadbeat asshole needed money for his cocaine fix they are dead!"

Tommy said nothing, just letting his best friend vent. Jason calmed down a bit, knowing that he still had work to do.

"Where are the others?" Tommy did not have to ask who "the others" were. It was another sign of the silent communication between the two friends. He answered without hesitation.

"Kim and the girls are at the hotel I think. She mentioned something about shopping for a new dress to wear to the funeral."

Jason gave a small laugh. Only his little sister would be thinking about shopping at a time like this. Though, he supposed it was her way of dealing with the enormous sadness that had suddenly descended upon their little group of ex super heroes.

"Adam and Rocky are at your dojo taking over your classes for the day and letting everyone know that after today, it will be closed for about a week or so", Tommy continued, "and Billy and Zack are at the funeral home waiting for you. I volunteered to come here to get you."

Jason wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his red polo, hoping against hope that his eyes did not match his shirt's color.

"Yeah thanks bro, we really do need to get our asses down there if…"

"Jay Jay"!

Jason was cut off by a cry coming from a room somewhere down the hall. He sighed and looked at a thoroughly confused looking Tommy. Tommy had recognized the voice and smiled, as he knew who it belonged to.

A few seconds later, the owner of the voice came bounding into the room with the energy of a five year old. Tommy's smile got wider. Standing now in front of him appeared to be a man in his thirties dressed in a red and black flannel button down shirt that was buttoned the wrong way, blue jeans, and high top sneakers with the laces undone. The man standing in front of him was different, no denying that, but it was the good kind of different; the kind that always made Tommy smile. He always enjoyed seeing him.

"Jay Jay! There you are! I thought you were coming to my room so I could show you the new car book Mommy got me"!

Jason smiled and went over to the man, placing his hand around his shoulders in a half hug.

"I know I did buddy, and I am sorry about that. I got a little busy, but I am very sorry. Do you forgive me"?

The man gave a huge smile that Tommy was sure could light up any room and looked up at Jason.

"Of course I do Jay Jay! You my bruther, I can't be mad at you"!

He finally noticed Tommy in the room and suddenly got shy, finding his untied shoes very interesting all of a sudden. Jason, his arm still around his brother's shoulders, spoke gently to him in a voice that conveyed patience and understanding.

"Jimmy, you remember my friend Tommy don't you? Can you say hello to him"?

He looked up and gave Tommy the same smile he gave Jason, and Tommy could not help but to give him one right back.

"Hi"!

Jason laughed and hugged his brother tighter.

"Tommy, you remember my older brother James, but we call him Jimmy".

Tommy, still smiling reached to take Jimmy's hand.

"It's very nice to see you again Jimmy".

But as soon as he touched his hand to shake it, Jimmy pulled his hand back hard as if Tommy had tried to hurt him.

"No"!

Jason soothed him, assuring him that Tommy just wanted to be friends. Jimmy, not reassured, just pulled himself closer to Jason.

"Hey buddy, why don't you go back to your room and get that book ready. I will be there in just a minute I promise".

Jimmy happily agreed and left the room with the same energy he had when he had entered it, seemingly forgetting about the situation with Tommy. Jason turned to look at Tommy, and to the former white ranger, it looked as though his best friend had aged ten years in the past ten minutes.

"He has no idea that Mom and Dad are gone, and I dread telling him. As you know, he has never been like any other kid. He was completely healthy in the womb, but during birth, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply, By the time the doctors could fix it, the damage had been done. He has the mental capacity of an eight year old and will never mature past it. My parents were of course devastated, but they got over that, and did everything they could to make sure that he had a normal life".

Tommy nodded. He knew all of this of course, but having Jason repeat it seemed to help him. Those were the Scotts that he knew.

Jason paused a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"Now you see Tommy. Now you fully understand what responsibilities I have to deal with now. I am all he has now, and I will be damned if I let him or my parents down. He depends on me, and I will go out of my way to make sure that his needs are met, even if mine go unmet". He paused to take in a shaky breath, trying to call himself.

"Now come on, we need to get to the home to make those arrangements and I really need your help. But first, I need to go see a book about cars".

He turned and started to leave the room, before turning back to Tommy.

"Are you coming"?

With a nod, Tommy followed him out of the room. In just a few minutes, Tommy Oliver got one hell of a lesson in humility.

_As I said in the introduction, this story is dedicated to my Uncle David, who suffers from the same condition that Jimmy does. This story was inspired by him and I hope that in some way, that by writing it, it will help me deal with his passing, and at the same time, bring awareness to others. I have a basic plot that I would like to take this story, and I really hope that you enjoy it. As always, please rate and review. Also, please check out the link in my profile to a really, really outstanding site. Its legit I swear!_


	2. Adult Orphan

**Disclaimer:** I have never, nor will I ever own anything to do with Power Rangers.

**Setting:** About a year or so after Dino Thunder

**Summary:** Jason has always been a man of many secrets, but what happens when something happens to turn his world upside down, and lets one of those secrets come right out into the open? His life changes drastically, but can anyone help in work through it all?

Chapter Two: Adult Orphan

The funeral was in two days and Jason had a lot to do in that time. Meet with the funeral director, contact family, and tell his brother that his parents were never coming home again. He would rather face Zedd alone and unmorphed than to tell Jimmy that all he had left now was Jason himself. Lucky for him though, he had some of the best friends that anyone could ask for. They had been nothing short of amazing the past few days, helping him prepare for what would surely be one of the worse days of his life. There was at least one of them by his side constantly. It was almost annoying.

He knew he had work to do, the funeral planning was not going to take care of itself, despite the efforts of his best friends, but at the present time, he was perfectly happy where he was. Leaning on the doorjamb to Jimmy's room, watching his brother assemble one of the many models that he was so fond of.

Jimmy may have the intellect of a eight year old and may forget even the simplest of tasks, but the one thing that he was good at, the one thing he did better than anyone Jason knew, was assemble model cars. It did not stop there; he knew pretty much anything about the automobile industry. All you had to say was '57 Chevy and Jimmy would tell you every single detail about that particular make and model year. Jason was more than a little envious.

He seemed so happy and serene, that Jason almost did not make his presence known. It would have been a shame to disturb him now, especially with the news that he had to share. Taking a deep breath, and resigning himself to a long afternoon, Jason made his way into the room and kneeled slowly next to where his brother was sitting and working.

"Hey there buddy. Whatcha working on there"?

Jimmy did not take his eyes off his work to answer, content to keep working while he answered Jason.

"BMW M6 convertible. 1996. Red", was all the Jimmy said. This worried Jason. Normally he would be spouting off all kinds of facts about the car by now, but now, now he seemed a bit subdued. Maybe he already sensed something was wrong. Well, there was no sense in drawing this out any longer. It would only make things worse. Jason put one arm around his brother and with the other, gently pushed the model that Jimmy was working on out of his hands.

"I have something to tell you buddy, and it is very sad news."

Jimmy just grunted and made to grab the model again, but Jason stopped him, pushing on with what he had to say.

"Jimmy, you know that Mommy and Daddy have not been home for a few days now…."

Jimmy's face suddenly lit up as he had suddenly remembered that his parents were not there.

"Yeah! Where are they Jay Jay? Mommy needs to take me to get a 'nother new model! I'm almost done with this one!"

Jason was a little surprised. Jimmy was pretty close to his parents, especially to his mother. Jason had spent the past few days distracting Jimmy so he did not realize that they were not in the house. Maybe he had done a better job than he thought. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Well Jimmy, this is not going to be easy to tell you, but Mommy and Daddy have gone on a trip".

"Where did they go"?

Fighting back the tears in his own eyes, Jason answered his little brother.

"They went to Heaven Jimmy".

"When will they be back"?

Jason pulled his brother into a full embrace now.

"They aren't coming back Jimmy. They are gone forever".

It took a few minutes, but then the full realization of what Jason said sunk into Jimmy. He may be a little slow, but he knew what Heaven was. His Mommy had taken him to Sunday school every Sunday. He pulled back from his brother's embrace and pushed him away.

"NO! You're lying Jason! NO! Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?"

Jimmy started to run out of the room to look for his parents, but Jason grabbed him before he could reach the door and again pulled him into a tight embrace; letting his brother's tears soak his shirt as he added his own. He held him tight, rocking him back and forth and saying nothing, just letting him cry and scream for his parents as he comforted him the best that he knew how. Jason may have his brother with him, and he had some of the closest friends ever, but at that time, Jason Scott never felt more alone and helpless in his life.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Jason sat on the bed in his childhood bedroom. He was dressed in his black suit, though his red tie, a tribute to both his father and his ranger days, stood untied. Today was the funeral, and Jason knew he would need every ounce of strength he possessed to get through it without becoming a total emotional wreck. The funeral was only the beginning; he still had to deal with emptying his parent's house. Keeping what he wanted and selling the rest, though that thought torn at his very soul. Then there was the matter of Jimmy. There was no doubt that he would have to come and live with Jason. There was no other family, and Jason was not going to let him go live in a group home. He was the only family that he had left and he would always, always take care of him. It did mean that he would totally have to rearrange his life, but so be it. If that was what had to be done, then that is what he would do.<p>

He was still contemplating the enormous task in front of him, that of tying his tie, when there was a gentle knock on the door and Kim peeked her head in.

"Can I come in big brother"?

Jason gave a small smile; Kim knew just what to say to make him feel just a little better. He motioned her in with a small wave of his hand. Kim entered and seeing the situation, took charge immediately.

"Stand up for me Jason, let me take care of that tie for you".

Jason, not willing to fight her at this point, and if he was honest with himself, he was NEVER willing to fight her. The few times he had tried, he had gotten a hard lesson in "never piss off Kim". He never had to learn the same lesson twice. He simply let Kim take over the huge task of tying his tie.

Kim started the task, taking her time because she knew that Jason needed all the time that he could get to prepare himself for what was going to happen today.

"How am I going to get through this Kim"?

Kim had been in her own thoughts, not thinking that Jason was going to say anything, so his sudden question startled her a bit. So it was a few seconds before she could answer.

"It's simple big brother. You are going to get through this the way you get through everything else tough in your life. You are going to be strong, do what needs to be done, and most importantly, you are going to get through this by relying on your friends, who would do anything in the world for you".

Jason knew this of course, but it felt good to hear someone else actually verbalize it.

"How is Jimmy taking this"?

Jason sighed.

"To be honest Kimmie, I really don't know. I thought that I knew him quite well, but this…this has put him in a kind of mood that even I can't read. It seems as though he has kind of drawn into himself. He will not come out of his room, even to eat. I leave food for him, but when I come back, it is either untouched or he has thrown it against the wall in anger. His usual bubbly, outgoing personality is going. He won't even speak to me".

Jason stepped away as Kim finished tying the tie, visibly slumping slightly as in defeat.

"What if he blames me for this Kim? What if I have lost him for good? I lost my parents and I… I really don't think I could lose the only close family that I have left".

It broke Kim's heart to see her oldest friend in the world hurting so much. With tears flowing freely down her own face, she struggled to keep her composure. Those tears were threatening to ruin her carefully applied makeup, but for once she did not care, she stepped forward and pulled Jason into a tight embrace.

"I don't know too much about Jimmy's condition, or how he thinks or anything like that, but I can tell you that you have not lost him. Give him time Jason; he will see that you love him and that you will do anything in the world for him. It just may take a bit longer. And don't you think for one second that you don't have close family. Hell, we have been through more than most 'close' families have in their entire life. Why the hell do you think I call you my big brother? It's not just a term of endearment you know".

Jason reluctantly let go of Kim and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"Yeah I know all that Kim, and thanks. You guys have been nothing short of amazing these past few days. I know for a fact that I could not have done any of this without you. As for Jimmy, your right of course, I am sure he will snap out of this. It's just a lot of change in a short amount of time; he just needs to adjust is all. I will do what I can to help draw him out of this".

Kim, wiping her own face, smiled.

"I know you will Jason. You have always been the take charge; stand by your friends type. You have always been there for every one of us whenever we needed you. Why should your own brother be any different"?

"Why indeed? I love you Kim".

Kim gave Jason another quick hug before turning toward the door.

"I love you too big brother. Now, let's get this funeral business over with shall we"?

* * *

><p>All in all, it was a subdued affair. The Scotts were well liked and well respected in the community and a fair amount of people showed up to bid them farewell.<p>

Jason felt as though he was in another world through the entire thing. This was not supposed to be happening. His parents had been healthy, vibrant people; they had many years to be with each other before finally leaving this world. Jason supposed that he could take some comfort in the fact that at least they went together, and wherever they were now, at least they were with each other. And now, now he was here grieving for his parents, in all reality, he was an orphan. Sure, an orphan in his thirties, but one all the same.

He was broken out of his revere by the minister asking him to come to the front and eulogize his parents. He got up from his seat next to Jimmy in the front row of the small church his parents had been married in and made his way to the front. It took him a few moments, but he eventually composed himself and spoke.

"I have heard it said that the cruelest fate is to have a parent outlive their children. While that is indeed true, having to bury your parents still sucks pretty badly, especially when they went in such a cruel and needless manner. Mom and Dad had so much to offer, not only to myself and my brother, but to the world in general. There were times when I was growing up when there would be a phone call in the middle of the night and a few minutes later, Dad would be out of bed and out there door. It could have been freezing outside with half a foot of snow on the ground, but he would not have hesitated to leave and help a friend who needed to get his truck out of a ditch or to bring medicine to someone who was too sick to get out of their bed. If he was able to do it, he did it without a thought to himself. Mom, well Mom was pretty much the same way. No one who was in need left that way from her house. Once, while passing a homeless family on the street sleeping in their car, she not only gave them money, but took them into her own home and gave them clothes, a hot meal, and most importantly, a little more self respect".

Jason paused here for a moment to gather his thoughts and look over the crowd. Jimmy was in the front row next to his empty seat, not looking at him and looking generally bored with the whole affair. He really needed to do something to draw him out of his shell. Surrounding Jimmy, were his other family. Tommy and Kim were seated behind Jimmy and all around him he saw the familiar faces of Billy, Trini, Zach, Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Kat, and every single team all the way to Dino Thunder, with the exception of Time Force of course. He looked at them all, and drew strength from their kind, loving expressions. He was damn lucky and knew it. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"I was lucky. I was lucky enough to have two parents that not only loved me and my brother, but went out of their way to show it each and every day. We never wanted for anything and were well taken care of, that's true, but it was the small things that you do not see as a kid and look back on as an adult and curse yourself for each and every bad thing you ever did or said to them. I know that is easy to say that you can live having no regrets, but I do. I regret that I will never again have the chance to tell them that I am sorry for those things that I will never again walk into my mother's kitchen to see her standing over a stove filled with all of my favorite foods and smile on her face just for me. I regret that I will never have the chance again to seek out my father for advice on things such as love and life in general. They were my rocks and I will miss them so much".

Jason reached down and touched each casket in front of him tenderly.

"Goodbye Mom, goodbye Dad. I love you both so much and I will miss you. Don't worry; I'll take care of Jimmy. We will both be just fine".

Saying all he could say without totally losing it, he swiped his face with his sleeve, and took his seat next to his brother. He put his arm around Jimmy and pulled him tight to him. He did not know what went on the rest of the service. Jimmy was all he cared about now.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, life had settled into some resemblance or normalcy. After the funeral, most of his distant family had gone back to their homes. The rangers had stayed a few days longer, making sure that he was alright. Tommy and Kim had stayed longer, as they were the closest to him. They had finally left after Jason assured them that he was fine on his own and could handle the sale of his parent's home just fine. Now he had some decisions to make. He was currently living in his parent's home as Jimmy refused to leave and come live with him in his home. So essentially, he was paying rent on an apartment he had not lived in for almost three weeks now. He had briefly considered canceling his lease, not selling his parents house, and moving in there permanently. That had lasted a whole two days before he decided that the house held too many painful memories for him and he would go crazy if he had to live there much longer. Jimmy would be fine there, as this house was the only one he had ever known, and he did not know any different, but Jason had to get out, and fast. Once that decision had been made, he had started the process of emptying the house of his parent's possessions, which, despite what he told Tommy and Kim, turned out to be harder than he expected.<p>

Once that process had been started, he turned his mind to the problem of where he was going to live. He had to leave this house, that much was certain, and he had to take Jimmy with him, that was also a fact, but where would he go? His own apartment was an option, but for some reason, it was an option that did not appeal to him too much. Then, something Tommy had said to him a few days ago came back to him. He had been telling Jason of the community he lived in and wished he had moved there sooner, as it had everything he could ever have wanted. That was all well and good for Tommy, but what appealed to Jason was the thing that Reefside DIDN'T have…painful memories of his parents. Making his mind up at once, he picked up his cell phone, found a number almost as familiar as his own, and placed the call.

"Hey Tommy? I was thinking about some stuff you said earlier, and well, I think that Jimmy and I need a fresh start. I am going to need your help man. I'm moving to Reefside".


	3. Moving in and Moving on

**Disclaimer:** I have never, nor will I ever own anything to do with Power Rangers.

**Setting:** About a year or so after Dino Thunder

**Summary:** Jason has always been a man of many secrets, but what happens when something happens to turn his world upside down, and lets one of those secrets come right out into the open? His life changes drastically, but can anyone help in work through it all?

**Chapter Three: Moving in, and moving on.**

Jason brought in the last box from the back of the moving truck that he had rented and set it down with a small grunt. He prided himself on being in pretty good shape, but a full day of lugging in who knew how many boxes, not to mention the furniture was enough to wear even him out.

He decided that a break was long overdue and sat down with a tired sigh on a nearby counter in his new kitchen.

It had been a long month, but things were finally starting to come together. After he had made the decision to move his brother out of his parent's home, things really got going. Tommy had been more than happy to help as much as he could once Jason had told him that he was planning to move to Reefside. He had immediately gotten to work finding a house that would work for both Jason and Jimmy. It had taken him a few weeks, but he had pulled through. Tommy would have had them a place to live sooner, but Jason was dead set against living in an apartment. He had nothing against them personally, but his main goal was to make sure that as little changed as possible for Jimmy, and going from a house to a tiny apartment would have been too much for his brother. It was bad enough that he was moving him out of the only house that he had ever known. Jason did not want to make matters worse for him by making too many changes. He was afraid enough as it was that even these small changes would have a lasting effect on Jimmy.

Soon enough though, Tommy, with the help of his shopaholic fiancé of course, found a decent sized three bedroom two story ranch home not more than a fifteen minute drive from his own home; which was amazing in of itself seeing as Tommy lived practically in the middle of nowhere.

Jason had driven down for a few days to look at the home. Tommy and an enthusiastic Kim had taken a day to not only show him the house, but the city itself. It had reminded Jason a lot of Angel Grove, which he considered a good sign. He could see why Tommy had chosen it in the first place. Yes, he thought that he and Jimmy would be very happy here.

Once he was completely satisfied with it, the financial details were quickly taken care of. He had gotten a fair amount from the sale of his parent's home, as well as his dojo, so money was really no problem.

All of that done, the hard part was getting Jimmy to leave the house for good. He thought back to the conversation that took place right before he told Jimmy that they were moving.

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

_Jason had just come back from Reefside, where he had just signed the mortgage on his new home. Kat had been kind enough to stay with Jimmy while he was gone; something Jason would was very grateful for. They had been shamelessly flirting with each other for the past few months and there was a time when he thought that they may end up together. Now, who knew, but he did make a note to at least do something nice for her for what she had done for him._

_Kat had seen him arrive and met him at the door._

"_He knows something is going on Jason", she said without much preamble._

_Jason just took a deep breath and nodded._

"_Yeah he is pretty perceptive. He may be a fair bit slow, but he does pick things up from time to time"._

"_How are you going to tell him that he has to leave the only home that he has ever known"? There was no anger in her voice, Kat was genuinely concerned for the man that she had come to love as her own brother in just the few short days that she had known him._

"_Trust me; I am not looking forward to it. I thought about it pretty much the entire drive here. The best I could come up with is to do it hard and fast and brace myself for the outburst that will come after". _

_Kat nodded her understanding "That may be for the best. No matter how you do it, he is not going to like it, and he is going to resist big time. It's best if you do it now while you are thinking about it. He is in his room. Go". She gave him a gentle shove _

_Jason nodded again and made his way to his brother's room. _

END FLASHBACK

* * *

><p>Kat had been right, it had not been easy and Jimmy had resisted, big time. In the end, he had not really agreed to come fully, but Jason had managed to at least get him out of the house and with Kat's help, got him to pack his stuff up. The rest of the packing was done by Jason himself along with Tommy, Kim, Aisha, Adam, Rocky, and Zach.<p>

"Hey bro, did you want us to stay tonight and help you get set up"?

Jason was brought back to the present by the sound of his best friend's voice. All of the other had found hotels in the area and had left for the day, but Tommy and Kim, having lived in the area, hung around longer.

Jason hopped off of his counter seat and stretched his back out, looking around with a feeling of dread and a bit of panic. Moving was the easy part. Unpacking it was an entirely different story. He considered his options. The day was already almost done and there was really no point in getting anything major started. Plus, he was just plain tired and did not look forward to the prospect of even more work today.

"To tell you the truth bro, I am thinking that we have done enough for one day. Jimmy has his room pretty much set up, so that is good enough for me for now".

Jason had made getting Jimmy set up and as comfortable as possible his first priority. Everything else could come as it did. Currently, Jimmy was upstairs in his new room and the last time that Jason checked, he was sulking while playing with his toy cars. He would have to go and check on him later, as well as get him ready for bed. As tired as he was, he just hoped that Jimmy was not in the mood for more than one bedtime story tonight.

"Tell you what. Why don't you call for some pizza, and the three of us can discuss what comes next"?

Tommy and Kim had agreed to that plan and Kimberly volunteered to place the order. She pulled out her phone, and dialed from memory her and Tommy's favorite pizza place. As soon as she heard someone on the other line, she said, "Hey Georgie! I need three cheese and one ham and bacon". Georgie put in the order, and promised that it would be delivered in about forty five minutes, after he got Jason's address.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, things were calmed down a bit. Jason had just returned from settling Jimmy in for the night, thankfully, his younger brother had been so tired from the move, he had fallen asleep before Jason could get the first story started.<p>

Now he was sitting on the couch in a living room filled with moving boxes, talking with Kim and Tommy and finishing off the last of the pizza that Kim had been nice enough to order, and Tommy had been nice enough to pay for.

Tommy had just polished off his last piece before leaning back in his seat and giving a belch that had Kim giving him "the look", before he picked up the thread of conversation that had been interrupted when Jason had went to take care of Jason.

"So are you sure you are ready to jump into this Jase? I mean, I can do without you for a couple of days at least".

When he had told Tommy that he was planning on moving to Reefside, Tommy had offered him not only a job in the dojo that he ran, but part ownership as well. It was more than he had hoped for, and he had protested mildly at first, but Tommy, with backup from Kim, was quite convincing, and he had eventually caved in.

"Yeah I'm sure. This is something that I have to do I think. Things have been going full on for the past month and the stress has been unbelievable, so I really need to do something to get my mind off of everything. Teaching a few class would be just the thing".

Tommy nodded. He felt the same way. He was just looking out for his friend.

"I can't even start to thank you for everything you have done for me man. I literally could not have done this without you".

Jason was near tears now, and even though he knew his friends would not mind, he still did not want to cry in front of them…again. He had done too much of that lately.

Tommy pretended that he did not see the tears forming in Jason's eyes. Plus, he was fighting his own emotions.

"Hey, think nothing of it bro. I think that it goes without saying that you would have, and will do the same thing for us".

Jason nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. All of a sudden, he just jumped up from his seat.

"Enough of all this emotional stuff. Let's have a bit of fun shall we? I know it's late, but you feel up to a light sparring session"?

Tommy smiled, Jason read his mind. It was time to move on, and what better way than to get his ass kicked by his best friend?

"You're on bro. Bring it"!

Kim laughed and pushed her two men out of the room.

"Go ahead and play boys. I'll take care of cleaning up this mess and check up on Jimmy".

Jason smiled his thanks to the woman in pink while Tommy gave her a quick kiss as he followed Jason out of the room. Kim just smiled and started to clean up. Things were looking up now. And if they weren't, then she would make sure that they did herself.

* * *

><p>Jimmy was scared. He was lying in his bed in this strange room, in this strange house. His brother had been in to put him to bed earlier and he had pretended that he was asleep to fool him. Jay-Jay looked so sad and he did not want to make him mad by not going to sleep. Jimmy did not know a lot of things, but he knew that he loved his brother and he did not want to make him mad at him.<p>

He did not understand why he had to come here. His mommy and daddy were gone, he knew that now, but why did that mean that he had to come to this strange house? He wanted to go back to his other house. He wanted to see his friends again. He did not like this new place. What if no one liked him? What if they teased him like those mean boys did before? Jimmy had cried before when that happened, but he did not want to cry this time. He was a big boy, and besides, he did not want to make Jay-Jay upset. He loved his brother he did.

He missed his mommy. When she was here before, well, not in this house, in his other one, it was her that put him to bed, not Jay-Jay. She would make sure that he had a bath with the bubbles and the toy ships, and after she would make sure that he was tucked in nice and tight, cozy and warm, and then she would read him his favorite stories. She would even make noises to go with them! His daddy sometimes told him stories too, but he forgot the words sometimes, and he was a grownup!

But now he was alone in this dark room and very scared. What would happen with him and Jay-Jay? Where was his mommy and daddy? There were a lot of things that he did not understand, but one thing that he did know is that he did not want to stay here anymore. He would fix things. He, Jimmy, would make things better, and Jay-Jay would be so proud of him! But only if he did not miss his mommy so much!

It was a very long time before Jimmy Scott finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Haley needed a break, and a cigarette….bad. It had been a long day already at it was barely noon. Since it was summer and school was out, her café was busting at the seams. She was short staffed as Trent had left just last week to get set up for school and she had not had the time to hire more staff just yet. Kim had graciously offered to help and Haley had taken her up on that offer, but with the summer in full swing, things were still rough.<p>

She was behind the bar right now, making and slinging smoothies as fast as she could. She was so intent on her work, that she barely noticed Tommy come in with someone that she did not know. All she saw out of the corner of her eye was Tommy dressed in his white gi, and a flash of red and gold on the strange man beside him. Ever since Tommy had given up the black dino ranger powers, he had started to wear white more often than not…Kim's influence more than anything. Besides, the gi had to be white anyway.

A lull finally occurred about a half hour later, and Haley was finally able to pay attention to Tommy and the man who was with him. She had about to go over to greet them, but stopped dead in her tracks. Gorgeous. That was the only word that came to her suddenly teenage girl mind at the moment. The man with Tommy was simply gorgeous. His red and gold tank top did much to show off his chiseled chest and arms. Since he was a friend of Tommy's, it was safe to assume that he was a martial artist as well, and he looked like it. She took in how he was acting with Tommy, laughing at something he said, so easygoing.

Then he happened to turn to her direction and gave her a friendly smile. That smile did much to turn Haley into a giant puddle of goo. She was actually rooted to her spot, unable to move. Kim, who was on her way to great her fiancé, took notice and gave a laugh.

"Saw Jason didn't you"? She said grabbing her friend by the arm.

"Come on, he is one of my oldest friends. I'll introduce you".

Haley wanted to protest, how was she even supposed to talk to this man…Jason? What would he see in her? Still, she allowed Kim to steer her towards the pair of men.

Jason had been laughing at a very, very bad joke that Tommy had made when he happened to turn to see a very attractive read haired woman staring at him. It caught him totally by surprise, so he really did not know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of, he smiled at her.

That did not help apparently, as she did not move and she was starting to make him feel uncomfortable. Why the heck was she staring at him? She sure was beautiful though. Now that was something that Jason had not thought of in a long time. Sure, he noticed women of course, but with everything going on, he had not allowed himself to think of flirting much less dating, and he still would not as long as he was taking care of Jimmy, he would always come first with him.

Kim apparently took pity on the woman and started to steer her towards him. If he knew Kim, and he did, he was about to be introduced to her, and that thought filled him both with fear and excitement. For the first time in a very long time, Jason felt like a scared teen about to ask out the girl he liked for the first time and hoping that she did not laugh in his face. Which was ridiculous of course, he had no intention of asking her out, he did not even know her name. And even if he did, it would be too hard. But still, what if…..?

Kim, in her typical take charge attitude, took things in her own hands. She placed this woman in front Jason, who had just stood up out of respect, a habit that his mother taught him that never went away….his mother. Kim then extended this woman's hand towards him and started the introductions.

"Jason, this is Haley…me and Tommy's good friend as well as my boss and owner of this establishment. Haley, this is Jason. One of my oldest and dearest friends as well as Tommy's 'bro', He just moved her yesterday, so don't scare him off yet."

Haley had no intention of doing anything like that. She had allowed Kim to take her hand and extend it, but it was not long before she came to her senses and took her hand back, using it to shake the hand of Jason.

She was still in awe, which really was not like her. She normally was not this shy, she usually had no problem speaking what was on her mind, but there was something about this man that brought something out in her, and from the look on his face, he was having similar problems.

She was just about to tell him that it was nice to meet him when the phone rang. She was about to go and get it, when Kim said that she would. Haley nodded, and turned her attention back to Jason.

Kim answered the phone and heard a frantic sounding Kat on the other end.

"_Kim! Is Jason there?"_

"Yeah he is right here Kat. Why? What's up?"

"_Just please put him on, and please hurry!"_

Perplexed, Kim just called for Jason to take the call and waited to see what the trouble was. Kat had not sounded good at all. Jason smiled at her before taking the phone.

"Jason here."

"_Jason! Thank God I finally got you! I called the dojo first and they said that you and Tommy had gone to lunch, so I called here hoping that you came to have lunch with Kim, and…"_

"Whoa Kat…slow down. I can barely understand you. What's going on"?

Kat took a deep breath before continuing.

"_You need to come home now Jason. It's Jimmy. He's….well he is gone Jason"._

**A/N: Yeah I leave you with a cliffhanger. Sue me *smirk*. This chapter was hard for me to write, but a lot of fun too. I hope you all enjoy it. I do want to give special thanks to "K" and "Ghostie" for helping me work through a tough scene near the start of this chapter. They are pretty darn awesome and good RPers too (see my profile for a link to a pretty darn cool PR RP site). As always, please review!**


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